


Bloodborne: Beauty and the Beast AU

by Zlu_and_Luff



Category: Bloodborne (Video Game)
Genre: Drama, Fairy Tale Retellings, Gen, Horror, Humor, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-06 15:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11603874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zlu_and_Luff/pseuds/Zlu_and_Luff
Summary: Loosely based on the fairy tale. Following a most peculiar trail, the hunter Ludwig finds himself in a strange castle in the middle of the woods. The castle's owner, Laurence, cherishes the company, but refuses to reveal himself. Sinister truths will be uncovered, nightmares will be slain.





	1. Chapter 1

Some people said the town was little, some even called it a village. But all agreed, it was a hospitable place. Unless you were the creepy doll maker who lived at the edge of town with an absurdly beautiful… someone.

The townsfolk - or villagers - couldn’t quite figure out what the relationship between the two was. Maria was too beautiful to be either a blood relative or a wife to Gehrman. And where would the doll maker find the money to have such a beautiful servant? The townsfolk rejoiced at the opportunity for gossip, and so even though they had come to the town some time ago, no one had asked the two about this particular topic. It would spoil the fun, you know. Too few things happened in the town as it was.

Not that it wasn’t without its notable characters.

Why just as the odd duo settled in another gossip arose: Maria, if she wasn’t indeed Gehrman’s wife, had to absolutely, most definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, be wed to Ludwig.

Ludwig was the town hero.

Not exactly a hero per se, not yet, but he was notably more good-looking, stronger and generally more likable than most other men in town. It would seem, looking at the townsfolk, that was no big feat, however, one could say Ludwig went above and beyond expectations set by his surroundings, and was indeed quite admirable in almost every way.

He was a hunter, you see. And a great one at that. No wolves, bears, boars or particularly aggressive geese ever threatened the townsfolk or their property. If it could be shot and mounted on the wall, it had been shot and mounted on the wall in the town’s only tavern.

It only made sense that the town hero should marry the most beautiful maiden around. 

So when Gehrman did not return from a trip to a fair, the part of the town that believed him and Maria were married rejoiced. For now the wedding everyone was waiting for would finally happen!

The cheerful mood was broken when Maria vanished soon after.

And again the spirits of the townsfolk were lifted when Ludwig went to search for their missing countrymen. Well, mostly for Maria, they said.

Ludwig would have said otherwise, but nobody asked for his opinion.


	2. Chapter 2

It had seemed a trivial enough matter.

The wagon Gehrman had used left clear tracks on the little traveled road. And yet, when Ludwig finally reached their end, he found the wagon overturned, crates of well-packaged toys lying in the dirt. There were notable marks on the ground. Wolf paw prints, hoof prints and signs of struggle. But no blood.

A single trail of hoof prints went deeper into the woods, following none other than Gehrman’s own footprints. Or, well, footprint. The peg leg made his tracks quite recognizable.

Ludwig puzzled over the traces of the peg leg for a moment. Running must not have been easy for Gehrman, and yet, it appeared he had fled. And far.

The hunter climbed back onto his horse and followed the trail.

He expected it to turn, after all one would attempt to hide from wolves in a tree. Could peg-legged Gehrman climb a tree? Ludwig wasn’t sure. But the man was tall, perhaps he was simply looking for a branch low enough to grasp and pull himself onto?

Ludwig rode further and further, puzzled to see Gehrman’s tracks and those of the horse going deeper and deeper into the woods. An hour passed. Suddenly Gehrman’s tracks seemed to go around in a circle in one spot. Had he lost the wolves?

But then they went on further away from the town.

It made no sense. Were the wolves afraid to attack while the man was awake? Then why did he flee away from familiar parts and into the wilderness?

Ludwig did not like asking too many questions. Instead he decided not to lose time and simply followed the tracks.

* * *

It was growing dark, and Ludwig lit a lantern, making his horse slow down to a trot. They couldn’t have gone this far. Not Gehrman. Not without the wolves attacking and shedding at least some shreds of clothing or a drop of blood.

And yet the tracks went on.

They were no longer on the old road. Instead, they had turned onto an even older, forgotten path that Ludwig wasn’t aware even existed. He had traversed these woods since he was a boy, and yet this new path was entirely unfamiliar to him.

Finally, he found his first piece of evidence.

Gehrman’s horse lay at the edge of the path. It had been killed and feasted on but what must have been a vicious pack of wolves. Ludwig produced his rifle and looked around. As if on cue wolves howled in the distance.

Ludwig’s mount did not panic. It had been to many a hunt and did not fear the mere sound of wild beasts.

The howling was coming from afar, and it was not answered anywhere nearby, so Ludwig shone his lantern around to see if poor Maria had suffered the same fate as her horse. But no, now there were two trails of human steps leading even deeper into the wood. Gehrman’s tracks indicated a very tired slow walk, while Maria’s showed a more determined pace, but nothing like a run. Peculiar.

Ludwig checked his weapons, preparing for a more difficult hunt than he was used to. These wolves were many. Large, and in a strange way they seemed almost… scheming. It was nonsense of course, but Ludwig couldn’t help the feeling of being watched.

He followed the same path Maria and Gehrman had taken.

After a while of riding through the darkness, he found himself at the edge of the wood.

Before him rose a dark brooding castle of disturbing and inhuman proportion. It was unnatural, like a grotesque forest fungus that sprawled in ways architecture wasn’t supposed to allow. A high wall surrounded it, and in it was a gate that provided a clear enough view of the dark garden beyond.

Ludwig dismounted and lantern in hand approached the gate. Both Gehrman and Maria had walked through it. So he did too. He tried at least.

His horse pulled on the reins and protested no matter how much he talked to it. In the end, using his unmatched strength the hunter dragged the horse in and shut the gate. There was light in some of the castle windows. If it was inhabited, the castle grounds would be a far safer place to leave a horse than outside in the woods.

Ludwig tried to lead his horse towards the castle, but again it struggled against him. Deciding it was too much even for him, the man tied the reins around a leg of a statue and hurriedly followed the trail. 

The garden was quiet and somewhat overgrown, but not derelict. Still there was no one around.

The silence was almost unnerving.  As was the disgustingly misshapen door knocker. Ludwig used it once, twice and thrice, but it had no effect. However, the door was slightly ajar, and so Ludwig stepped inside.

He had never been in a castle before, and he could not help but gape. Even though the hall was dark, his lantern revealed luxury beyond his wildest imaginings. Tapestries and paintings covered the walls. Some of them torn and askew, but impressive regardless. It was a dwelling of a prince no less. Suddenly Ludwig felt very aware that he was trespassing on what was possibly a monarch’s property.

“Forgive my intrusion!” he said loudly. His voice echoed in the empty hall. “The doors were open. I am looking for my missing friends. A peg-legged man and a young woman… Hello?”

No one answered him. 

“Hello?”

Ludwig waded through the hall and into a corridor. The floor bore muddy markings of Maria’s passage. And then they ended, abruptly, washed away. The tiles ahead were clean. Ludwig rejoiced. 

“Hello? Anyone there?”

He walked ahead and lo, a pillar of light running across the clean shining floor.

“Hello?”

He approached the shining doorway and squinted at the golden light that poured out of the room. It was a dining room as far as he could tell. But it was splendid! There were huge mirrors on every wall framed in gold! A feast was served. The food was appetizing beyond description. Fowl, doe, a roast pig with an apple in its mouth, all untouched.

“Hello…” Ludwig said again, quieter this time.

“Hello,” came a reply.

Ludwig stepped back, startled. The voice seemed to be coming from every corner of the room at once.

“You must be tired from your long journey. The laws of hospitality bind me to provide for you, weary traveler, and for you to savor the meal freely offered.”

Something wasn’t quite right about that voice, Ludwig thought, but out loud he said. “Thank you, kind host. But I would inquire, if I may…”

“You may.”

“Have you received in these marvelous halls a peg-legged man and a young woman? They are my countrymen and I only come to search for them.”

“A peg-legged man and a young woman?” The voice mused. “We receive many guests. Perhaps they were among them. Why I could ask the servants.” A bell rang. “Meanwhile, please, treat yourself to everything you see.”

“Will you not join me… Your…”

“Highness.”

“Oh…” Ludwig looked around himself wide-eyed. The place did look worthy of a monarch. He quickly bowed. “I… Forgive me, Your Highness, I did not realize…”

“No need for apologies, my fair guest. Please, take a seat, and enjoy. I will pass your inquiry to the servants.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Ludwig shuffled over to a chair that wasn’t at the head of the table. Something told him sitting there would be scandalous in the presence of a monarch... or a monarch’s kin.

This was baffling. Like an impossible dream. A luxurious, but warped and tarnished castle in the middle of the woods that both Maria and Gehrman had been led to by wolves. Led to? Such nonsense! He was getting delusional with fatigue. Perhaps a meal would help him regain his strength and clear his head. Ludwig was ready to dig in when he realized his noble host was still nowhere to be seen. But he had already asked if he would appear and received no answer. Asking twice seemed impolite.

“May I start, Your Highness?”

“Go on. And no need for such formality. It tires me.” The voice expressed the sentiment by sighing quite theatrically. “You may call me Laurence.”

“I would not…”

“Ah-ah-ah! I am the prince and the host, and you will abide by my request, would you not?”

“Of course, Y- Laurence.”

“There we go! And what might you be called?”

“Ludwig.”

“Splendid! Treat yourself, Ludwig. Enjoy the feast.”

“Thank you kindly.”

Ludwig dug in. 

The food was delicious. He hadn’t ever eaten anything quite like it. There were spices like he had never imagined, the meat was delicate and juicy, and the wine was impossibly good. 

He had to go easy on the wine, Ludwig thought. 

“Tell me, Ludwig, from whence do you and your compatriots come? I’ve not left my castle in a while, due to a certain… condition… It would please me greatly to hear of how the world is faring in my absence.”

Ludwig told his host about the town he was from, about recent fairs and celebrations, about the doll maker and his beautiful companion who had moved into town just recently. Where were Maria and Gehrman? He hoped the servants would know. But for now he had a prince to entertain and so he did.


	3. Chapter 3

Ludwig woke in a large bed in an unfamiliar, exquisitely furnished room. Memories flashed through his mind. The castle. The mysterious prince. The search.

The missing duo!

Ludwig got out of bed and swiftly started dressing. Only when he was almost done did he wonder who even changed him and brought him to bed. It was… a disturbing thought that he had managed to drink enough to require assistance with these things, but he couldn’t remember anything past a certain point during the feast. His clothes had been cleaned while he slept. He would have to thank the servants for that.

When he was done dressing he noticed a small silver bell on the ornate bedside table. There was also a note that it would summon a servant. Ludwig rang. The sound seemed to echo in the empty corridor outside. A moment later a somber servant girl appeared at his door.

“Uh, good morning… The prince had said you would be able to tell me if a peg-legged man and a young woman had been here…”

“Yes, indeed, they were.”

Ludwig grinned. “Oh, thank you! Where are they now?”

“They had departed not long before you came, sir. The woods are dangerous so we sent an armed guide with them to take them safely back to their village. The wolves have grown bold in these parts.”

Ludwig listened with a mix of relief and concern. “I have noticed that much in the forest. I happen to be a hunter, so I would gladly help with that.”

The girl’s eyes widened for a moment. “That won’t be necessary… sir. The prince expects you to join him for breakfast, if you would.”

“Of course,” Ludwig agreed. Now that Gehrman and Maria were found and headed safely home he could linger for a bit and entertain the royal hermit.

As the maid led him through the decaying yet majestic halls, Ludwig couldn’t help but think the place was like a gilded animal carcass. There were so many precious materials all around, but the space seemed unnatural, distorted and almost nonsensical at times. It made him uneasy. A part of him rested content with the news about Maria and Gehrman, but another questioned the servant’s words. If they went back, why didn’t he see any tracks? Perhaps they left moments after he made it to the front door, exiting through a different entrance. Ludwig glanced at the sunlit garden outside the windows and suddenly remembered. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I realized my horse was left in the garden, I hope someone would have-”

“I imagine the gardener would have taken care of it, if you left it in the garden.”

The maid sounded disinterested. Ludwig frowned. Something was wrong. He glanced out the window. His horse wasn’t where he had left it. But he could swear that statue he had attached it to had looked different...

“Please, take a seat, His Highness will be here shortly. You may start without him, he takes his meals in a separate room, but you will be able to converse.”

The servant girl left, and Ludwig took his place at another richly served table.

As he was told, the prince soon joined him. Or at least his voice did.

The conversation was pleasant. Laurence was well-read and his sense of humor was beyond reproach. But Ludwig couldn’t help but feel like he was talking to a ghost.

“Why do you not show yourself, Laurence?”

“Hm, I don’t think you would appreciate the sight of me. I am… not…”

“A picture of health?”

“You could say that!”

“Well, I can assure you, it wouldn’t bother me at all, no matter what it is.”

Laurence sighed. “Maybe another time.”

“Ehm, I was thinking, what with my compatriots having been sent back home, I shouldn’t trouble you any longer.”

“Oh, but you trouble me none, I am most grateful for such lively company. It would grieve me terribly should you leave today. Please, humor me a while longer, dear Ludwig.”

“It will be my pleasure…”

“Excellent!”

* * *

Ludwig ended up staying a week. Almost everyday he would announce his intention to leave and every time his host would speak of loneliness and melancholy and how wonderful it was to have someone new around. And Ludwig would grudgingly stay.

On one occasion he had inquired about Gehrman and Maria, and a servant told him they had safely arrived home, and that his family had also been informed about the nature of his absence.

“I hope mother wasn’t too worried.”

“I was told she wasn’t.”

“That’s unlike her.”

The servant frowned ever so slightly. “Perhaps receiving the news from a richly dressed lackey was assurance enough.”

“And all of them were well?”

“Yes. As far as I’ve been told. All well.”

“Thank you.”

Ludwig watched the servant strut away. 

His mother had been dead since last spring.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a pattern to the conversations in the castle. Laurence was avoidance incarnate. Whenever Ludwig asked him one question too many, that wasn’t rooted in literature and history, the prince redirected it to the servants. He didn’t even admit ignorance, it was always something very vague and indirect. The servants meanwhile relayed second-hand stories of little credibility and straight-up lied in Ludwig’s face.

During a walk in the gardens he had discovered blood between the cobbles on the paved path where he had left his horse, and traces of wolf fur on the gates. The gaps in the gate would have been large enough for a persistent beast to squeeze through. His horse was gone. And it did not go without a fight. The sculpture he had tied it to must have been toppled, because Ludwig remembered distinctly the element he had tied the reins to. It wasn’t there.

He was sure Gehrman and Maria had not been taken back to the village at all. In the best case they were being held as guests just like him in another part of the castle. It was large enough for them to never meet. It was time to look into this whole matter properly.

So Ludwig pretended to let down his guard and relax. He talked to Laurence merrily during dinner and praised the prince’s hospitality. He drank a lot of wine and pretended to be drunk. In the end a servant helped him to his rooms where he pretended to go to sleep.

In the night, Ludwig dressed lightly enough to allow stealth and sneaked out of his room.

The castle was dark and made unpleasant creaking noises as if something heavy was being moved about in the night. But that helped cover up Ludwig’s steps.

None of the rooms next to his were occupied, but that was to be expected.

Ludwig went downstairs. 

He knew vaguely where the servants’ quarters were, and he avoided that area. Instead he explored the places where he had conversed with Laurence. All of them had mirrors on walls.

Ludwig approached one such mirror. Carefully he tried to shift it. It moved, swinging sideways. Cool air escaped from the large gap in the wall. It was almost the size of the mirror. Ludwig gaped.

It was completely dark inside the hidden passage. Cool air flowed from inside.

So that was where Laurence hid… But why?

Ludwig shifted the mirror back in place. A part of him wanted to venture into that unfamiliar space, but common sense told him without a light he was prone to make noise, and with a light he would betray his presence to anyone still awake. 

Perhaps another night.

With that decision made, the hunter continued his nighttime exploration.

Much of the castle was vacant. Many exquisitely furnished rooms seemed to be in a state of decay. Some were so thoroughly abandoned that dust lay like a carpet on the carpets and floor. And yet, Ludwig could have sworn the servants seemed quite busy with something during the day. Were they keeping Laurence’s rooms pristine while they ignored the empty ones?

Ludwig was just pondering the matter when he saw a light approaching from the other end of a long corridor. He retreated behind the next turn, afraid to alert the approaching servant with a creak of a door. He did not know this part of the castle. The steps coming from the corridor he just left told him the servant was still coming his way. Ludwig chose a door that looked like it led further into the castle and opened it as gently as he could.

He found himself at the edge of a winding staircase lit by candlelight. It was unexpectedly spacious. All the other staircases he had taken, except the one in the great hall, were claustrophobic, but this one could have fit three men as wide in the shoulders as him without making them uncomfortable. The sound of steps was still approaching, so Ludwig chose at random and descended the stairs. 

Down, down, then left, through an open passage and into a niche. Ludwig waited. The servant he was escaping had followed him down. After a minute she passed him. The woman was sighing and stepping heavily, burdened by something. Stew, judging by the smell of it.

Ludwig listened to the woman’s passing and the opening of another door.

He heard a faint voice coming from within.

“At last, I thought your master was planning to starve me...”

Gehrman!

Ludwig balled his fists. Lies. Filthy lies. Gehrman and Maria never left the castle! They were prisoners. As he would be, if he revealed himself. Furious, he waited.

The servant did not return for the longest time, leaving him alone in the darkness, wondering about the true nature of his stay in the castle. Was he going to be imprisoned too when he finally attempted to leave? Was his feigned ignorance of the ploy his only protection? Why was Laurence secretly keeping his countrymen prisoner? He was a prince, if he had reason to imprison them, he could have done so in the open. Why the secrecy?

All those questions went through Ludwig’s head, until finally the servant left the dungeon, stepping much lighter than before, the ladle making dull noises in her now empty pot. If it was that heavy, that meant there were other prisoners than Gehrman and Maria. Ludwig felt a mix of worry and indignation. He had to save all of these people. But could he do it alone?

For now he chose to at least see the missing man and woman with his own eyes.

Ludwig left his hiding place, and ignoring the loud creaking of the old castle that once more resounded above him, he ventured beyond the threshold of the prison.


	5. Chapter 5

The man behind the bars looked weary and unwell.

“Ludwig…”

Gehrman’s eyes opened wide. 

“I’m here to save you and Maria, and everyone else here. But first…”

“No!” Gehrman shook his head violently. “There’s no time. There’s no saving us all. Go, find Maria, and escape. Run! Tonight!” Gehrman’s words were an urgent whisper. His eyes darted left and right, like he was looking out of hidden eavesdroppers.

“I cannot easily escape. My horse was killed by wolves.”

“Dratted beasts… Still you must find Maria and leave, leave now, tell the villagers, come in force, kill the wolves, that monster and his servants and burn this accursed place to the ground. But now go, find Maria!”

“I… can’t leave you.”

“Yes, you can! I’m of little use to him, but I dread what he could do with her. You have to get her out, Ludwig!”

“What’s going on here?”

“The prince is a monster.”

“What monstrous thing did he-”

“No, I mean literally, a monster. He is not human. Ludwig, you have to go now, before he-”

Gehrman was interrupted by the sound of something heavy falling and striking the floor. Then again. And again.

“It’s too late…” Gehrman paled. “Hide. Ludwig, you must hide.”

“What’s happening?” Ludwig tried to reach out for the prisoner, but Gehrman withdrew deeper into the cell.

“Find an unlocked cell and hide. He’s coming…”

“Who’s coming? What are you talking about…”

Ludwig felt the tremors. Something fell heavily behind him, and the hunter found himself in shadow. Slowly, he turned, his head tilting back until he faced a creature many times his size. It was a crouching giant with long spindly limbs and antlers, that sprouted out of a wolf-like face.

The creature was frozen, motionless, staring at him with the most human expression apprehension on its monstrous face.

“Laurence?” Ludwig gaped up at the beast.

It opened its maw, then closed it. 

“Laurence! Why are my friends your prisoners?!”

“Uh…” the familiar voice of the prince escaped from the creature’s throat. “It’s a complicated situation.”

“Am I a prisoner too?” Ludwig demanded.

The creature shifted uneasily. “It’s… a matter of perspective…”

“Yes or no?”

“You’re being impolite to your host.”

“Not more ‘impolite’ than you are. You lied to me, your servants lied to me!”

“I did not lie,” the monster protested softly.

“You lied by omission!”

“No I did no- argh!” The creature cradled its head in its large clawed hands. Its antlers grew like twisted branches.

Ludwig gaped up at the monster in shock. Lies. Lies made them grow.

“How many prisoners do you even have?”

“That’s none of your business- Gragh!” The monster bent down, forced to turn its head sideways as the antlers scraped the walls now.

“Brilliant, Ludwig! Run! He hardly fit into the corridor before! He won’t be able to follow” Gehrman shouted from his cell. “Get Maria and run!”

“No!” The monster protested.

But this time Ludwig agreed with Gehrman, now that he knew the prince’s secret, he would not be allowed to leave. He ran down the corridor. He froze in his steps when he heard the groan of bent metal and Gehrman’s gasp.

“I wouldn’t move, if I were you- Damn it!” Laurence growled in pain and anger, as his horns grew further.

Ludwig turned to see the monster crouched beside Gehrman’s cell with the man in one of its giant hands. 

“Take another step, and I will crush him.”

“Why are you doing this?!”

“I can explain. But you have to turn around and go back upstairs. Then we can talk.”

“Only after you let Gehrman and Maria go.”

“I cann-... I  _ will  _ not do that.”

Ludwig glared at the monster. “At least have them moved out of the dungeon! You’ve plenty of room in the castle. And I assume the wolves are in your employ in one manner or another, so it’s not like we can just walk away!”

The creature looked surprised. “Indeed, you are correct. Very well, Ludwig, I will accommodate your request to some degree. But now, please, go back upstairs and return to your room.”

“What do you keep the prisoners for?” Ludwig asked rebelliously.

“I will explain myself later. Go now,” Laurence replied calmly. “Or the deal is off.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Was he always like that?”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“Your master, the prince. Was he always a shambling giant with horns?”

“I cannot answer that, sir.”

“Hrmph.”

Ludwig crossed his arms on his chest. The servant led him to one of the usual chambers where Laurence would talk to him. Only this time, Ludwig wasn’t going to play along with the charade anymore. When the maid departed, he stepped over to one of the mirrors and swung it sideways.

Wide-open shining eyes stared at him from a dimly lit room on the opposite side of a short secret passage.

“Oh,” said Laurence. “Well... do come in then.”

Ludwig did.

As he had guessed, Laurence’s space was more like the well-maintained parts of the castle. It was clean, if somewhat less grand. The walls were bare for the most part, probably to accommodate the giant antlers. There were huge holes in two of the walls, that served as convenient passages for the castle’s enormous and unusually encumbered master.

Laurence sat on a stack of mattresses covered with carpets next to a large dining table that was presently used as a desk of sorts. Large sheets of vellum lay on it. Ludwig did not manage to make out the giant words on those before Laurence swept them up and folded the notes, depositing them to the side. Ludwig felt irked by the continued secrecy, but there were more important matters at hand.

“Are Gehrman and Maria no longer in the dungeon? Can I see them?”

“Yes, they’ve been brought to the surface. You can visit them anytime you please.”

“Why won’t you let them go?”

Laurence sighed. “I want to see if their love can break the curse placed on me by an evi-.... an enchantress.”

“Is your present state the result of that curse?”

“Yes.”

Ludwig studied the monster. “Why do you think their love can break the spell?”

“The Enchantress said love would be the answer.”

“So you abduct and imprison lovers to try and find a cure?”

“Pretty much.”

Ludwig grimaced. “I see. Well, how much longer do you intend to keep them? The curse doesn’t look lifted to me.”

The giant monster looked sideways, shifting uncomfortably. “I thought maybe they need a little longer.”

“Do you have other prisoners?”

“Well, yes…”

“How long have you kept them?”

Laurence stayed silent. 

Ludwig scrutinized him darkly. “I understand that you are royalty, your Highness, and you don’t hold common men in high regard, but imprisoning people indefinitely for selfish purposes is cruel to say the least. If love is the answer to your curse, have you not considered this wasn’t the way to go about lifting it?”

The monster looked at him, and Ludwig felt a pang of sympathy. The creature’s eyes were quite expressive.

“I… want to be human again.”

“I understand. But if Gehrman and Maria aren’t the key to lifting your curse, perhaps you could let them go?” Ludwig suggested softly.

Laurence looked away. A moment passed in silence. 

“I… don’t think I should let them go. Maybe I’m close…”

“Close to what? What are you even doing to them?”

“I’m keeping them apart. Letting them see each other for a moment, trying to make the feeling more intense.”

“That’s cruel.”

“I know.”

Ludwig stared the hulking beast down, and it seemed to shrink under his gaze.

The hunter sighed and crossed his arms on his chest. “How many prisoners do you have?”

“I don’t want to answer that.”

“Is it twenty?”

The creature did not look him in the eyes.

“Is it more?”

“You are but a commoner, I have no reason to tell you anything- Ah!” The beast grabbed its head in its hands as its antlers grew and dug into the walls. It had to turn its head with a grunt.

“So you do have reason to tell me…”

“It’s not a good one.”

“Out with it!”

The monster glared at him. “I’ve eighteen prisoners currently, not counting the servants.”

“Are the servants prisoners too?!”

“Former ones.”

Ludwig gaped at the cursed prince. He couldn’t understand. The servants had seemed so loyal. Were they that afraid of Laurence? Or were they… Had the beast somehow made them fall in love with it as one of its attempts to lift the curse? Ludwig grimaced and took a step back in revulsion.

“Tell me, you didn’t  _ force _ people to love you to lift the curse…”

Laurence looked at him wide-eyed. He opened his mouth and closed it, without making a sound.

Ludwig shook his head in disbelief. “Gehrman was right. You are a monster.”

“I just want to be human again.”

“I doubt you ever truly were one in the first place!”

Hurt appeared in the creature’s eyes. It tried to turn away, but its antlers struck the wall and it growled in pain and anger. “Go to your room.”

“What if I leave?”

“You can’t! I forbid!”

The antlers grew again, and the creature cried in agony, falling on all fours. It turned sideways and prevent its antlers from crushing into the walls again.

Ludwig watched it calmly. In its own way it was pitiful. But he couldn’t feel sorry for a man who would imprison innocents and twist their minds for his benefit. Who knew what Laurence had done to be cursed in the first place.

“I want you to let the prisoners go, and then I promise to stay and help you figure out your curse, if you promise to stop these atrocities.”

“What makes you think you know so much about curses?”

“I don’t. But I seem to know more about love.”

“Pf,” the creature snorted. “Very well, the current batch of prisoners has proven quite useless. We can try coming up with ideas together. I won’t have a reason to torment anyone anymore once I’m back to human…” Laurence said and shuddered, expecting for his antlers to grow.

But they did not.


	7. Chapter 7

The same day after being brought upstairs from the dungeon Maria escaped.

The news literally shook the castle, and Ludwig cut his visit with Gehrman short. He hurried to the source of the enraged roars. 

Laurence had cornered one of his servants and, from the looks of it, was about to crush the young woman with his clawed fist. Ludwig swiftly stepped between the furious beast and its victim. The maid sobbed and sunk to the floor, begging forgiveness.

“Ludwig, step aside!”

“No.”

“They let the woman escape! She killed three of my wolves!”

“You were going to let her go anyway, were you not?” Ludwig asked coldly.

“I was. I was!” Laurence barked. “But not like _this_.”

“The best you can do now is to send Gehrman after her,” Ludwig said.

Laurence thought on it for a moment. “Fine. You there, on the floor, stop weeping and go arrange the release and safe transportation of that old cripple.”

“And the release of the other prisoners.”

Laurence cringed. “Yes, yes. That too, _eventually_. You heard the man.”

The maid thanked him profusely, and still sobbing hurried away.

“Now, you were going to help me with my curse.” The monster focused on Ludwig.

“Yes. But first I’d like to know what you have already tried.”

“You would not like what I’d have to say,” Laurence grumbled. His huge shoulders sagged, and he bowed his heavy head, as if the weight of the antlers suddenly doubled. “The truth of the matter is not pleasant.”

“I imagined that much. Still, tell me. I cannot help you unless I know what has failed already.”

* * *

Ludwig stared at the giant notes made by Laurence’s hand with a mix of horror and disgust. It was all documented there in a structured, systematic manner. The prisoners - or subjects - were assigned numbers, and the subject of each study was analyzed and described most coldly. Laurence’s attempts to lift his curse had indeed gone through all manners of affection. There were lovers, families, friends. There were men and women who were forced to develop feelings for each other, for Laurence, for objects or even fantasies. It was all one long study of the psyche aimed at undoing Laurence’s supernatural affliction.

All of this horror committed to vellum left the hunter wondering if the enchantress who had cursed Laurence had thought of the possible consequences of that action. How was the one that cursed Laurence any better than the cruel prince? It was a vile situation. The revenge of one powerful entity against another at the cost of innocent people's lives and sanity.

“So? Do you think I missed something?” Laurence asked impatiently.

“No.”

“Hm.” The beast made a noise of displeasure.

Ludwig stared blankly ahead. Did he even want to help Laurence become human again? Perhaps. At least then the prince would no longer have the physical power over the people he abused now. And hopefully no reason to go to such extremes.

But then again did he really deserve to look human?

Ludwig wasn’t sure.

“Would you like something? Tea? Mulled wine?”

The hunter glanced up at the monster, who watched him with benevolent interest.

“It’s been getting drafty here in the last few weeks with winter on the way…”

“No, thank you, I don’t need anything.”

“Alright.” The monster sat down on the floor and rested its weary head on its knees. “If there is anything I can do to help you think…”

“I’ll let you know, Your Highness.”

“It’s Laurence,” the creature corrected him.

Ludwig said nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

“So you think all this time, I was doing the opposite of what I was supposed to? That the curse will be lifted when I show affection for my subjects?” Laurence laughed. “Why would a curse be that easy to break?”

“Is it truly easy for you to treat your people with kindness and respect?”

“Of course it is! I wasn’t a tyrant, you know. I’ve shown plenty of benevolence before and after the curse- Ouch! Alright, maybe  _ some _ benevolence, not plenty…” The beast rubbed its head. Its antlers had grown just a bit. “Anyway, I have tried that early on, and that didn’t work.”

“Perhaps you weren’t sincere.”

“Well the curse said nothing about _sincerity_!”

Ludwig rolled his eyes.

His monstrous host grumbled unintelligibly.

Hurried footsteps reached them from the corridor and a moment later there was an urgent knock on the door, and then a red-faced servant came in.

“Your Highness, there is an angry mob of commoners invading the castle grounds! They bring torches and pitchforks, and they’re led by the beautiful woman we have previously held in the dungeon.”

Laurence’s shining eyes opened wide. “A mob of peasants?! How dare they?!”

“Sire, they’re throwing in bottles of oil and setting fire to the castle!”

The monster growled.

Ludwig stepped to stand in front of it. “Let me talk to them. It's the people from my hometown. Please, do not harm them, Laurence!”

“What of the wolves?” Laurence asked the servant angrily, ignoring Ludwig altogether. “Where are my courtiers?”

“The villagers appear to have slain them…”

“What?!” The beast roared in fury and bent as if preparing to charge.

“Laurence!” Ludwig shouted.

The creature looked at him. Rage was burning in its eyes. “What?!”

“Let me talk to them!”

“Fine! But if they don’t stop, I will crush them myself if I have to!”

Ludwig nodded and ran through the maze of vast corridors and staircases. Already he could smell the smoke. A part of him thought the castle should not have succumbed to flames quite that easily, but it was a cursed place. Perhaps the purifying essence of fire had special power over those.

“Ludwig!”

The crowd cheered as he opened the doors. But before he could say a word they rushed in and spread out setting fire to everything.

“Stop it! Stop! Everyone, listen to me!”

“No, no, it’s alright, we know everything, Maria told us of the mind-twisting monster…” One of the villagers assured the hunter eagerly. “He will trouble you no longer.”

“No!” Ludwig gaped in horror as men and women - and was that a child?! - dashed in all directions, piling furniture into ever growing bonfires, setting curtains ablaze and occasionally pocketing smaller valuables.

Ludwig tried to shout, but the tumult of the peasant rebellion drowned him out.

He saw some of Laurence’s servants escape outside through the smoke, ignored by the angry villagers. Others seemed to try fending the destructive horde off, but were quickly overpowered, bound in shreds of curtains and tapestries and carried outside as well.

Ludwig gaped in horror at the destruction. Then he heard a wall crumble somewhere above. Laurence! He had to try and reason with the monster, before the cursed prince did something even more drastic.

* * *

“I will bring the castle down on top of them!” The creature roared, striking the walls around itself in a frenzy. The castle shook, rubble and dust were falling from the ceiling.

“No, Laurence, please, don’t! They’re my family, my friends and neighbors. Please, Laurence, I love them.”

The monster froze and slowly turned to him. “I’m sorry, Ludwig. But love doesn’t seem to mean much. It can’t even lift one damned curse!”

“How can you be so selfish and stupid?! If you keep doing this, you will kill hundreds and destroy your castle anyway!”

“Yes, and I will also crush the useless vermin still in the dungeon, if you don’t make these filthy peasants leave at once!”

“What ‘vermin’?” Ludwig stepped towards the furious beast. “You were supposed to let those people go.”

“I did let some of them go, but there’s at least a dozen still there. And if you don’t do something- Ludwig! Ludwig, come back! Where are you going?!”

“To free the prisoners of course!” Ludwig shouted even as he ran.

“But you don’t have the keys!”

The hunter stopped and turned around. “Where are they?”

“One of the servants had them.”

Ludwig frowned. Then he turned back and continued to run. The beast followed him awkwardly.

“What are you going to do?! It must be hot like an oven down there!”

“I’ll break the prison bars with my hands if I have to!”

“No, you won’t, you fool!” The beast caught up with him and put a giant hand in front of Ludwig in an attempt to hinder him. “Don’t go there, you’ll die.”

“I’d rather die than let those people be burned alive.”

“I’d rather you didn’t die.”

For a moment their eyes met. Anger and frustration in Ludwig’s eyes met with something new and unfamiliar in the face of the beast. Twisted by anger the monster’s features momentarily softened with a kind of resignation. Ludwig recognized that look. The creature had cast those at him many times during their moments together. He had no time to dwell on it. He tried again to go, but Laurence stopped him.  


“Don't go. You would only die for naught." the monster protested. "But I can break the prison bars easily. You go try to reason with the rabble that is setting fire to my castle.”

“I will.”

“Stay safe.”

“You too.”


	9. Chapter 9

The fire was raging. Any attempt to put it out would be for naught. The deed was done.

Ludwig ran outside to again be greeted with cheers from his countrymen. They watched the blaze with elation, like a throng of mischievous children, reveling in destruction. Ludwig wanted to shout and chastise them, but it was pointless now. There was nothing he could do. 

A window broke, and a woman in ragged clothes dropped into the bushes.

Ludwig grabbed a few of the more sensible townsfolk and dragged them to her, explaining the situation as he went. There were prisoners that would be now escaping the blaze, they needed help.

After the woman there came a young boy and an older man.

The flames roared, the castle rumbled. Something crashed inside it.

A few more prisoners escaped through the window.

Ludwig and a few others were helping the escaping prisoners descend. After a longer pause between escapees Ludwig climbed into the window ready to dash into the fire and smoke at the first cry for help.

Another loud crash came from the inside.

Ludwig’s eyes were watering, but he thought he saw a familiar monstrous shape through the flames, holding up broken beams and creating a passage for a few more escaping prisoners. For a second Ludwig’s eyes met those of the beast.

Laurence shook under the weight of the castle coming undone on top of his shoulders. But if he were to let go that foolish hunter would run in and do something heroic. And then he would most likely die. Laurence didn’t want him to die. It was the thing he wanted least. Pain filled his entire beastly body. Despite his giant size and inhuman strength he was being crashed. He glanced down. The last prisoner that was left in the dungeon, an elderly woman, hurried towards Ludwig and said something to the hunter. Hopefully it was that there was no one else left. Indeed, Laurence must have guessed right - an expression of relief appeared on Ludwig’s face. An affectionate smile.

It was beautiful. It was almost worth the pain. 

Laurence roared as fire singed his fur. As his bones bent to the point of breaking. 

Suddenly, it was all gone. The pain, the pressure, it all disappeared. And the burning castle around him seemed so huge! So impossibly spacious. And the distance to the window was so great.

Laurence looked at his hands. They were normal human hands. He was human.

He laughed.

And then the castle came down on top of him.

* * *

The blaze went on for days. Most of the villagers had gone home, but Ludwig stayed, waiting, wondering, hoping and despairing in turns.

In the end, after a particularly strong downpour the fire finally went out.

In the rubble and ashes, the hunter found only one human body. Crushed and burnt to a cinder, it was unrecognizable. 

Finding no remains of a giant horned monster, Ludwig accepted that it had to be Laurence, and that it must have been death, not love, that finally undid the curse.

 

**The end.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it, hate it, neither? Tell me, please! :D


End file.
